May 26—Five graduating seniors in the Dayton area have overcome multiple challenges during their high school careers, from struggling with a lack of purpose, having a baby, losing a parent, working in the foster care system and becoming the best in a male-dominated sport.
Olivia Cox, Lexi Cupp, Sam Fecher, Ava Vo and Lily Zimmerlin all overcame challenges on their way to high school graduation. All five are heading to college and planning career paths to help others.
Trotwood-Madison senior Olivia Cox struggled to find her purpose during her first years of high school. She battled depression and raised her grades from D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s. She plans to attend Central State University and study psychology to become a certified counselor.
Stebbins High School senior Lexi Cupp had her son Reese in January. But she has known since she was sixteen that she wanted to become a pilot. She plans to attend the University of Cincinnati with her husband and study aerospace engineering.
Sam Fecher, a senior at Legacy Christian Academy, moved with his family to Ohio from Vermont so that his Baptist minister father, Brian Fecher, could take a job at Legacy Christian Academy. But just a few months after they moved, Sam’s father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died. Sam helped keep his family together while they healed. He plans to attend Wright State University and pursue veterinary studies.
Springboro High School senior Ava Vo was 14 when her grandmother received a call that Vo and her three younger siblings would be placed in foster care. Vo was placed in three different foster homes, although she said all three were supportive. She has won several academic awards and plans to attend Miami University to study social work.
Brookville High School senior Lily Zimmerlin is an All-American wrestler. As a woman in a male-dominated sport, Zimmerlin had to find her own way. She plans to attend Alma College in Michigan and double major in integrative physiology, health sciences and business administration. She wants a Ph.D. in exercise science or physiology and become a collegiate women’s wrestling coach.
These five students were selected based on nominations from their schools, friends and family and will be profiled in the Dayton Daily News throughout the week.
